Bathinda, Oct. 6 -- Harvesting of paddy is likely to be delayed for at least four to five days after light rains and winds lashed the entire Malwa region in the wee hours of Sunday. Worried farmers said that more rain and winds pose a threat to the flattening of kharif crops of cotton and paddy. State agriculture authorities said no crop damage was reported due to the sudden change in the climatic conditions in Bathinda and adjoining districts. "Showers were expected, and farmers were duly informed about the climatic conditions. There is no field report of any major damage to cotton or paddy crops in the region," said an official of the state agriculture department. Presently, farmers are engaged in the first picking of cotton, whereas the harvesting of paddy is yet to gain momentum in the south Malwa region. A cotton grower from Mansa said that wet conditions would enhance the moisture content and unseasonal showers would hamper the quality of the cotton. Chief agricultural officer, Bathinda, Jagdish Singh, said farmers have been advised to wait for picking cotton and harvesting paddy due to unfavourable conditions for the next two to three more days. He said the second picking may begin after 10 days. Nearly 5.75 lakh acres of land are under paddy cultivation in Bathinda, and the harvesting is yet to pick up. "Paddy was expected to begin in 3-4 days, but now it may get delayed. Rains at the juncture will cause damage to the kharif crops. Field inputs are not indicating any major loss. But the prevalent conditions will delay harvesting due to wet fields," said Singh. Meanwhile, the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) entered the state's market in four districts on October 1 to purchase the crop at the minimum support price (MSP). However, no cotton was purchased till Sunday by the CCI as officials claimed the crop had moisture content above the permissible ceiling of 8%. Private traders started purchasing the crop around three weeks ago, but have not been offering the MSP. "Random checking in mandis of four cotton-growing districts in the state recorded that moisture in the crop was up to 18-20%, that is 12% more than the CCI norms," an official claimed....